argument

Argumentative Essay Topics

Before deciding on a topic, ensure that you are able to:

· Argue the thesis. Not every thesis is arguable. In order to write an argumentative essay you have to choose a topic that has multiple perspectives.

· Choose one side of the argument and argue that side on the basis of evidence, NOT personal opinion or assumption.

· Find academic sources to support your argument. Academic sources are those that are found in peer-reviewed articles or books. They are not found on popular search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Wikipedia is also not an academic source. Locate sources that include studies, experiments, etc., that you can use to SHOW your reader that your argument is valid.

· Integrate quotations in your paper in such a way that the sources you use to support your thesis statement are explained. It is not enough to just drop in quotations without clarifying how they provide proof of your argument. Keep in mind that sources are used to demonstrate the validity of the argument.

· Develop topic sentences for each of your paragraphs. This will be easier to do once you have filled in the outline. The outline will assist you in developing the thesis statement which will indicate what it is you have to prove and the kinds of evidence you will require in each paragraph to show proof.

· Provide a counter-argument to your argument. This is an important part of any argumentative essay because it indicates to your reader that you have carefully analyzed the argument and your point of view is the most logical one based on the evidence provided.

An argument consists of reasons that lead logically to a conclusion Introduction Reason (claim) #1 Plus sub-topics Reason (claim) #2 Plus sub-topics Reason (claim) #3 Plus sub-topics Counter argument Conclusion Reconcile counter-argument in conclusion

REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY:

Argumentative Essay Topics

Write a 1500 word argumentative essay in which you explore one of the following topics. Be sure to use a minimum of four academic sources. You are required to annotate two of the sources.

1. Adolescents and internet safety

2. Is child labour a necessity in some countries?

3. Should vaccines be mandatory?

4. Should there be free internet access for everyone?

5. Should there be drug education courses offered in high schools?

6. Does parental mental illness affect children and young adults?

Note: Papers that do not meet the 1500 word count are penalized 3% for every 100 words short; late submission results in the loss of 3% and no opportunity to rewrite. Extensive use of one and two letter words and direct quotations will be taken into consideration when assessing the quality of your essay.

YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF THESE TOPICS

YOU CANNOT CHOOSE YOUR OWN TOPIC